Gas-meter.



PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903;

H. H. SPRAGUE.

GAS METER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1902.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1 H0 MODEL.

'IIIIlI llx a IIIIIIIIII;\\\\\ WITNESSES:

PATENTED MAR. 10, 190s.v

H.1H}. SPRAGUB.

GAS METER. APPLICATION FILED- APR. 5, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR' 76m"; 41%,

WITNESSES ATTORNEY THE u'onms vzrzns cof. Pnmumua, wuumowu, 0, c4

No. 722,390. PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903. H. H. SPRAGUE.

GAS METER.

APPLIOATION IILED :APR. 5, 1902.

no MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET a WITNESSES i 6 IN ENTO7R ms uoams PEYERs $0..?HOTO LITHO.. wunmamu, D. c.

UNITED STAT S ATJENT Fries.

HENRY H. SPRAGUE, OF SAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT.

GAS-M ETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,390, dated March10, 1903.

Application filed April 6, 1902. Serial No. 101,518. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY H. SPRAGUE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Saugatuck, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGas-Meters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in gas-meters; and it consists ofcertain details of construction relating to the valve and its operatingmechanism, to be more fully set forth in the following specification.

To enable others to understand my invention, reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a front elevation ofthe gas-meter embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a broken sectional viewlooking in the direction of arrow a, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an upper planview of the central body portion of the meter with the cover of thegas-distributing chamber removed to show the valve-seat. Fig. 4 is anupper plan view of the valveseat and valve, upper end of the crank-shaftwith the valve-operating crank-arm on said shaft. Fig. 5 is a diagram ofthe valve-seat with the valve shown in dotted position. Fig. 6 is adetail side elevation of the valve. Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of theupper side of the valve. Fig.8 is a detail central sectional view of thevalve, broken view of the crankshaft with the crank-arm mounted on theupper end thereof with its driving-pin engaged with the valve. Fig. 9 isa broken sectional view of the upper part or the meter, showing the casecontaining the recording mechanism located on the side of the meter,said recording mechanism being driven through the medium of a horizontalshaft connected to the crank-shaft by means of a worm and worm-gear,this construction being a modification of the construction shown atFigs. 1 and 2. Fig. 10 is a detail upper plan view of the mechanismconnected with the recording mechanism, also upper plan View of thecrank-shaft bracket and sectional view of the crank-shaft.

Its construction and operation are as follows:

My improved valve shown in the drawings is connected with a meter,having the central body 1', recessed side covers 2 and 3, diaphragms 4and 5, which diaphragms divide the interior into the threemeasuring-chambers A, B, and O, and removable cap 6, forming thedistributing or valve chamber D.

7 is the gas-inlet opening into chamber D, and 8 is the gas outlet orexhaust from the meter.

9 is'the level surface integral with the central body 1 and is adaptedto support the cap 6 and the valve-seat 10, which seat is secured inplace by the screw 11, Fig. 3. If desired, this valve-seat may be madean integral part of the body 1; but for all practicable purposes it isbetter thatitbe separated from said body. This valve-seat is providedwith the ports 12, 13, and 14:, which ports communicate with themeasuring-chambers A, B, and O as follows: The port 12, Fig. 2,communicates with the front measuring-chamber A through the medium ofthe port 15 of the body 1 and the port 16 in the side cover 2. The port13 communicates with the back measuring-chamber 0 through the port 17 ofthe body 1 and the port 18 of the rear side cover 3, while the port 14communicates with the central measuringchamber 13 through a port similarto 15 and 17' (not shown) of said body.

The valveseat proper is composed of a narrow raised clover-leaf ortriform shaped lip whose contour is formed of the curves 1) c d efg, onwhose upper edge is placed the glass valve 19, Fig. 4. \Vithin theinclosed area represented by this lip is a smaller triform-shapedendless webbing whose contour is composed of the curves 1) c d efg. Theinner clover-shaped webbingis integrally connected to the outertrifo'rm-shaped construction by the partition 20. Within this innertriform-shaped construction is the exhaustport 21, opening into thetransverse passage 22, Fig. 3. 23 is a hole in the surface 9, which holecommunicates with this transverse passage, and through this hole the gaspasses through the outlet 8.

The valve 19, as before mentioned, is made of glass, and preferably so,as there is less friction and wear between the valve and its seat thanif both seat and valve were made of metal. This valve is of circularconstruction and has (see Fig. 8) the central annular recess 2d and theraised central upper surface 19 to provide for this recess.

N l V act construction of the hanging bracket 29, I

forms no part of my present invention, and therefore is not shown, itbeing understood, however, that the rotation of the crank-shaft iseffected by the movementof the diaphragms and the movement of the valvethrough the rotation of said crank-shaft.

One important feature of my invention is to produce a maximum opening ofthe intake and exhaust ports by a minimum travel of the valve, whichminimum travel is eflected through the medium of ashort crank-arm, andconsequently a saving of power. To accomplish this, I have made thecurved periphery of the valve to correspond to the curved edges 1) c d ef g of the valve-seat lip and by means of the crank-arm connectionimpart an eccentric motion to the valve. This eccentric movement,combined with the fact that the outer circular edge or periphery of thevalve and the curves of the outer valveseat lip are the same, will givean openingthe full length of any of the curved portions of said lip thatthe outer edge of said valve may come in contact, as shown at Fig. 4.The curved edges 1) c d e f g are struck from the same center-viz., b cd 6 f g Fig. 5- that the outer curves of the lip b, the, are and theyare struck in pairs-that is, the curves at d are struck from the samecenter-via, d c c from 0 and so on. The dotted circle on which arelocated the centers from which these curves are struck represents thecenter of motion of the crank-pin 26. The edge of the annular recess 24in the bottom of the valve bears the same relation to the inner curvededges 1) c, &c., that the periphery of the valve does to the curvededges 1) 0, &3C. Therefore when the valve has uncovered the edge a ofthe intake-port 13, Fig. 4, the exhaust-port lip 0 will close theexhaust from said port and permit an uninterrupted flow of gas to themeasuringchamber with which such intake-port communicates. This appliesto the curved edges of all the ports, no matter in what direction thevalve is traveling, and, vice versa, the instant any one of the outercurved edges of the intake-ports are covered by the outer periphery ofthe valve its corresponding exhaust-port lip will be uncovered to permitthe gas from the measuring-chamber governed by said port to flow intothe recess 24 of said valve and out through the centrallylocatedexhaust-port 21. In order to maintain the proper burning conditions ofthe gas flowing through the meter, it is absolutely necessary that thisflow should be free and uninterrupted. This free flow of gas I maintainby my peculiarly-constructed valve and seat. When, therefore, oneintake-port is open, the other two intake-ports are exhausting, and whenthere are two intake-ports open the remaining intake-port is exhausting.In this way there is both a free intake as well as a free exhaust, andthe diaphragms are kept continuously in motion. The curved lips of theintake-ports coinciding as they do with the curved periphery of thevalve will, as before mentioned, give an opening the full length of saidports, so that when the diaphragms have reached the limit of theirtravel in one direction a large volume of gas is instantly admitted tostart them in the opposite direction. I thus obtain a greater openingboth of the intake and exhaust ports than can be obtained with any otherform of rotary valves. Thus the diaphragms are evenly balanced. and arerelieved of all strain by reason of the fact that the intake and exhaustports are balanced as nearly as possible. This will enable thecrank-shaft carrying the valve to rotate freely and without theslightest resistance.

Another important feature is that the power of the crank-arm 27 isexerted directly on the line of the meeting faces of the valve and itsseat, thereby reducing to a minimum the friction at that point and alsoremoves any tendency to lift or tilt the valve which the valve-movingpower would have, if it were applied either above or below these meetingfaces. The annular form of the valve and its circular exhaust-recesscombined with its eccentric motion enables the valve to cover anduncover every portion of its seat at every revolution of thecrank-shaft, and thus scrape off any matter liable to lodge thereon.

The clockwork 32, Fig. 2, for operating the recording mechanism is ofthe usual construction, except that the vertical shaft 33 has the foot33 adapted to be engaged by the projection 19 of the valve, whereby saidmechanism is operated by the eccentric motion of the valve. 34 is theusual horizontal shaft carrying the unit index-pointer 35, Fig. 1. Thefoot 33 also operates to prevent the valve dropping off-its driving-pinwhen the meter is being handled. When the meter is in working position,the valve will of course drop into position by its own weight. As therecording mechanism is driven by the crankshaft through the medium ofthe valve it is possible that such recording mechanism might, underfavorable conditions, offersufficient resistance to the valve to causeit to tilt or lift from its seat, in which case the driving power can beentirely removed from the valve and transmitted directly from thecrankshaft 28, Fig. 9, in the following manner, viz: 37 is a worm onsaid shaft engaging with the worm-gear 38 on the horizontal shaft 39.This IIO latter shaft is jou-rnaled in the cars 40 of the hangingbracket 29. 41 is a shaft directly in line with the shaft 39 and isconnected therewith by means of the slip-coupling 42, having the screws43. The shaft' tl is journaled in the stuffing-box 43 in the shell ofthe meter. In this construction the glass valve is freed from anypossible influence tending to make it move out of its proper plane. Theshaft 41 is thrown too far out of alinement with the recording mechanismto permit of its carrying the unit index hand or pointer. Therefore thisfeature is counteracted by the two gears 44 and 45,,one on the shaft alland the other on theindex-pointershaft'ifl, which shaft in thisconstruction is much shorter than in the construction shown at Fig. 2.The purpose of the slip-coupling 42 is so that the shafts 39 and 41maybe uncoupled whenever it becomes necessary to unscrew the hangingbracket 29.

The above modified construction will not only insure a free unobstructedmovement of the valve, but it enables the distributingchamber cap 6 tobe cut down, so that its ceiling will just clearthe valve. In thisconstruction the driving projection 19, Fig. 6, will be removed from thevalve, as shown at Fig. 9.

While I show the valve constructed with a view to its use in connectionwith a meter having two diaphragms and three measuring-chambers, I holdmyself at liberty to apply the principle on which the valve and seat areconstructed to any kind of meter where it may be applicable.

It will be understood that when the curves of the intake-ports areexactly equal to the curved periphery of the valve and the curves of theexhaust-port are exactly equal to the curved wall of the annular recessin the bottom of the valve andwthe width of the flat surface-or, inother words, the distance from the edge of this annular recess to theperiphery of the valveexactl v equals the difference in the length ofthe radii of the intake and exhaust port curves, then the flow of gasthrough the meter will be smooth and uninterrupted and the working ofthe meter will be perfect. Therefore it is desirable to conform as nearas possible to these exact conditions, as the slightest variationtherefrom will either cause an interruption in the flow of gas or permitleakage of the same; but as it is impossible to fulfil exact conditionsas to measurements I do not wish to be limited to any terms that wouldimply exact measure ments, but hold myself at liberty to work as near asit is mechanically expedient.

From the foregoing description I have assumed that the current of gas isin a fixed direction with the central port an exhaust and the threeouter ones intake-ports, with the gas-distributing chamber above thevalve. However, if without altering the shape of the valve and its seatthe current of gas is reversed, thus making the present exhaust-port anintake-port, with the present intake-ports exhausting into the presentdistributingchamber, which would then be an exhaustchamber, then theworking principle of the valve and its peculiarly-constructed seat willremain the same; but to thus reverse the current has not been foundsatisfactory in practice, as the pressure of the gas on the under sideof the valve will, under favorable conditions, lift it and permit partof the gas to flow through the meter unmeasured.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure byLetters Patent, is-

1. The combination, ,in agas-meter having movable diaphragms, ofmeasuringchambers, a crank-shaft centrally located with respect to saidmeasuring-chambers, gas intake and exhaust ports in the body of saidmeter, a gas-distributing chamber above said ports, a valve-seatoverlying said ports, gas-intake ports therefor, curved lips for saidports, an exhaustport surrounded. by said intakeports, curved lips oredges for said exhaustport, the number of curved edges of theintakeports and exhaust-ports being equal, the curved edges or lips ofthe intake and exhaust ports being struck from the same centers, inpairs, a circular valve adapted to operate on said seat and have aneccentric movement thereon, a crank-arm on the end of said crank-shaftadapted to engage and drive said valve, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a gas-meter, of a valve-seat provided withintake-ports having curved walls of substantially the same radius, atriform-shaped exhaust-port embraced by said intake-ports and providedwith curved walls of substantially equal radius, a circular disk valveprovided with an annular exhaustrecess in the bottom, said valve adaptedto have an eccentric movement on said seat so as to open and close boththe intake-ports and exhaust-port, in the manner substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination, in a gas-meter, of a valve-seat provided withintake-ports whose lips form plural arcs of a circle, all of which arcsare of substantially equal radius, an exhaust-port embraced by saidintake-ports, the wall or side of said exhaust-port being formed of aplurality of curves of substantially equal radius, a circulardisk valveprovided With an annular exhaust-recess in the bottom, said valveadapted to have an eccentric movement on said seat so as to open andclose both the intake-ports and exhaust-port, in the mannersubstantially as described.

4. The combination, in a gas-meter, of a valve-seat having gas-intakeports whose edges or lips are arcs of a circle of substantially the sameradius, an exhaust-port surrounded by said intake-ports whose outer wallis formed of curves of substantially equal radius and corresponding innumber to the curved lips of the said intake-ports, a circular diskvalve whose periphery and the curvature of the lips of said intake-portsare substantially equal, a centrally-located exhaustrecess, of annularconstruction, in the bottom of said valve, the annular wall of saidrecess being substantially of the same curvature as the curved wall ofsaid exhaust-port, said valve adapted to have an eccentric movement onits seat so that, when any of said intake-ports are opened, the exhaustfrom said ports will be closed, and when any of said intake-ports areclosed, there is a free exhaust from said intake-ports, substantially asset forth.

5. The combination, in a gas-meter, of a valve-seat having intake-portswhose curved edges or lips are arcs of a circle of substantially thesame radius, an exhaust-port surrounded by said intake-ports whose outerwall is formed of curves of substantially equal radius, andcorresponding in number to the curves of the said intake-ports, eachcurve of the intake-ports and its corresponding curve of theexhaust-port being struck from the same center, in pairs, a circulardisk valve Whose periphery and the curvature of the lips of saidintake-ports are substantially equal, a centrally-located annular recessin the bottom of said valve, the periphery of which is substantiallyequal to the curves of said exhaust-port, said valve adapted to have aneccentric movement on said seat sufficient to cover and uncover theintake and exhaust ports at every revolution substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a gas-meter, of a valve-seat, intake-portstherefor, an exhaustport embraced by said intake-ports, a circular diskvalve having an annular exhaustrecess on its under side, a crank-shaftcarrying a crank arm and pin, said crank-arm located in saidexhaust-port and below said valve, a projection central with said recessand integral with said valve, said projection having a hole therein toreceive the said crank-pin and adapted to have a free rotatable movementthereon and also an eccentric movement by reason of said crank-arm,substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, in a gas-meter, having measuring-chambers andmovable diaphragms, of a crank-shaft carrying a crankarm and crank-armpin, a distributing-chamber, a valve-seat having intake-ports providedwith a plurality of curved Walls of substantially equal radius, atriform-shaped exhaust-port having a plurality of curved walls ofsubstantially equal radius and corresponding in number to the curvedwalls of said intake-ports, a circular disk valve mounted on saidcrank-pin and adapted to have a free rotatable movement thereon and ancecentric movement by reason of said crankarm, an annular exhaust-recessin the bottom of said valve, a central projection rising from the uppersurface of said valve, means connected with the recording mechanism toengage said projection whereby said recording mechanism is operated bythe eccentric movement of said valve, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, in a gas-meter having movable diaphragms andmeasuring-chambers of the irregularly-shaped intake-ports 12, 13 and 14having the outward-curved edges 1) c d cf 9 and all of substantiallyequal radius, an exhaust-port embraced by said intake-ports andseparated therefrom by a partition comprising the outward curves b c def g all substantially of the same radius, substantially as described.

9. In a gas-meter, the herein-described valve-seat provided withintake-ports and an exhaust-port embraced by said intake-ports, saidintake-ports having the outward-curved Walls or edges 1) c (1 cf 9 andall substantially of equal radius, said exhaust-port bounded by theoutward-curved walls or edges b c d ef' g and all substantially of equalradius, the outward-curved walls of the intake-ports and thecorresponding curved walls of the exhaust-port being struckfrom the samecenter, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination, in a gas-meter having ports for intaking andexhausting gas, movable diaphragms and measuring-chambers, of adriving-shaft adapted to communicate motion to the recording mechanism,said recording mechanism located on the side of the meter andbelow saidports,means whereby motion is imparted to said recording mechanismdirectly from the body of said shaft through the side of the meter,substantially as described.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, this 4th day of April, A. D. 1902.

HENRY H. SPRAGUE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE W. FINN, SAMUEL J. CHAFFEE.

